Graveyard workers are in hot water after they were found to have walked away leaving human remains shielded only by the green plastic lid of a rubbish container.
For readers who do not yet know, in Portugal burials do not spell ‘Rest in Peace’. They frequently spell “Rest in Pieces” as bodies buried as little as six or eight years previously are exhumed to make way for new burials.
This is what happened in the case of Maria Nazaré Fonseca, writes Correio da Manhã which carried the grim story that has led to an internal inquiry at Lisbon council.
The woman’s family had been told their loved one was scheduled to be exhumed today (Friday).
According to the newspaper, the woman’s husband had requested a delay until September 6.
Again, for readers who do not know, bodies exhumed are expected to be placed in special urns that relatives have to pay for.
What seems to have happened is that the graveyard worker exhuming Maria Nazaré Fonseca’s remains heard of the request for a delay, and downed tools there and then.
He covered her partially-exposed bones with the lid of a refuse container – presumably intending to return later next week to complete the job.
In the meantime, the dead woman’s son went to visit his mother’s plot, and was understandably horrified.
“I didn’t even want to believe it,” he told CM: “How is it possible that someone could cover my mother with the lid of a refuse container? I could still see the dress she wore to my wedding.”
Hair too was still visible, according to CM, which labelled the incident at Lisbon’s Alto de São João cemetery “macabre”.
Contacted by the paper, the “situation was corrected” the next day.
A spokesperson for Lisbon council has confirmed “it is not normal for this kind of thing to happen” and that the council is “going to find all those responsible, and talk also with the family”.
By NATASHA DONN
